Risk-stratified seroprevalence of SARS coronavirus in children residing in a district with point-source outbreak compared to a low-risk area.

1. SARS coronavirus has low transmissibility at the community level. 2. Subclinical SARS coronavirus infection is rare in children.published_or_final_versio

Enhanced performance in polymer photovoltaic cells with chloroform treated indium tin oxide anode modification

Enhanced performance of a poly(3-hexylthiophene):(6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester bulk heterojunction polymer photovoltaic cell is reported by modifying the indium tin oxide (ITO) anode with chloroform solution. Instead of the traditional UV-ozone treatment, the optimized chloroform modification on ITO anode can result in an enhancement in the power conversion efficiency of an identical device, originating from an increase in the photocurrent with negligible change in the open-circuit voltage. The performance enhancement is attributed to the work function modification of the ITO substrate through the surface incorporation of the chlorine, and thus improved charge collection efficiency. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Genetic enhancement of behavioral itch responses in mice lacking phosphoinositide 3-kinase-γ (PI3Kγ)

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are important for synaptic plasticity and various brain functions. The only class IB isoform of PI3K, PI3Kγ, has received the most attention due to its unique roles in synaptic plasticity and cognition. However, the potential role of PI3Kγ in sensory transmission, such as pain and itch has not been examined. In this study, we present the evidence for the first time, that genetic deletion of PI3Kγ enhanced scratching behaviours in histamine-dependent and protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2)-dependent itch. In contrast, PI3Kγ-deficient mice did not exhibit enhanced scratching in chloroquine-induced itch, suggesting that PI3Kγ selectively contributes to certain types of behavioal itch response. Furthermore, PI3Kγ-deficient mice exhibited normal acute nociceptive responses to thermal and mechanical noxious stimuli. Behavioral licking responses to intraplantar injections of formalin and mechanical allodynia in a chronic inflammatory pain model (CFA) were also not affected by PI3Kγ gene deletion. Our findings indicate that PI3Kγ selectively contributes to behavioral itching induced by histamine and PAR-2 agonist, but not chloroquine agonist

Surface plasmon-enhanced electroluminescence in organic light-emitting diodes incorporating Au nanoparticles

Surface plasmon-enhanced electroluminescence (EL) in an organic light-emitting diode is demonstrated by incorporating the synthesized Au nanoparticles (NPs) in the hole injection layer of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonic acid. An increase of ∼25% in the EL intensity and efficiency are achieved for devices with Au NPs, whereas the spectral and electrical properties remain almost identical to the control device. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals that the EL enhancement is ascribed to the increase in spontaneous emission rate due to the plasmonic near-field effect induced by Au NPs. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain: guidelines for Hong Kong

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Profilin modulates sarcomeric organization and mediates cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

Aims: Heart failure is often preceded by cardiac hypertrophy, which is characterized by increased cell size, altered protein abundance, and actin-cytoskeletal reorganization. Profilin is a well-conserved, ubiquitously expressed, multi-functional actin-binding protein, whose role in cardiomyocytes is largely unknown. Given its involvement in vascular hypertrophy, we aimed to test the hypothesis that profilin-1 is a key mediator of cardiomyocyte-specific hypertrophic remodeling. Methods and Results: Profilin-1 was elevated in multiple mouse models of hypertrophy, and a cardiomyocyte-specific increase of profilin in Drosophila resulted in significantly larger heart tube dimensions. Moreover, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of profilin-1 in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) induced a hypertrophic response, measured by increased myocyte size and gene expression. Profilin-1 silencing suppressed the response in NRVMs stimulated with phenylephrine or endothelin-1. Mechanistically, we found that profilin-1 regulates hypertrophy, in part, through activation of the ERK1/2 signaling cascade. Confocal microscopy showed that profilin localized to the Z-line of Drosophila myofibrils under normal conditions and accumulated near the M-line when overexpressed. Elevated profilin levels resulted in elongated sarcomeres, myofibrillar disorganization, and sarcomeric disarray, which correlated with impaired muscle function. Conclusion: Our results identify novel roles for profilin as an important mediator of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. We show that overexpression of profilin is sufficient to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and sarcomeric remodeling, and silencing of profilin attenuates the hypertrophic response

Mutational analysis of the Ve1 immune receptor that mediates Verticillium resistance in tomato

Pathogenic Verticillium species are economically important plant pathogens that cause vascular wilt diseases in hundreds of plant species. The Ve1 gene of tomato confers resistance against race 1 strains of Verticillium dahliae and V. albo-atrum. Ve1 encodes an extracellular leucine-rich repeat (eLRR) receptor-like protein (RLP) that serves as a cell surface receptor for recognition of the recently identified secreted Verticillium effector Ave1. To investigate recognition of Ave1 by Ve1, alanine scanning was performed on the solvent exposed ß-strand/ß-turn residues across the eLRR domain of Ve1. In addition, alanine scanning was also employed to functionally characterize motifs that putatively mediate protein-protein interactions and endocytosis in the transmembrane domain and the cytoplasmic tail of the Ve1 protein. Functionality of the mutant proteins was assessed by screening for the occurrence of a hypersensitive response upon co-expression with Ave1 upon Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression (agroinfiltration). In order to confirm the agroinfiltration results, constructs encoding Ve1 mutants were transformed into Arabidopsis and the transgenes were challenged with race 1 Verticillium. Our analyses identified several regions of the Ve1 protein that are required for functionality

Polyethylenimine-based amphiphilic core-shell nanoparticles : study of gene delivery and intracellular trafficking

Author name used in this publication: Kam Len Daniel LeeAuthor name used in this publication: Pei Li2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Identification of hip fracture patients from radiographs using Fourier analysis of the trabecular structure: a cross-sectional study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Angiogenic gene expression and vascular density are reflected in ultrasonographic features of synovitis in early Rheumatoid Arthritis: an observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Neovascularization contributes to the development of sustained synovial inflammation in the early stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Ultrasound (US) provides an indirect method of assessing synovial blood flow and has been shown to correlate with clinical disease activity in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. This study examines the relationship of US determined synovitis with synovial vascularity, angiogenic/lymphangiogenic factors and cellular mediators of inflammation in a cohort of patients with early Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients prior to therapeutic intervention with disease modifying therapy or corticosteroids. METHODS: An ultrasound guided synovial biopsy of the supra-patella pouch was performed in 12 patients with early RA prior to treatment. Clinical, US and biochemical assessments were undertaken prior to the procedure. Ultrasound images and histological samples were obtained from the supra-patella pouch. Histological samples were stained for Factor VIII and a-SMA (a-smooth muscle actin). Using digital imaging analysis a vascular area score was recorded. QT-PCR (quantitative-PCR) of samples provided quantification of angiogenic and lymphangiogenic gene expression and immunohistochemistry stained tissue was scored for macrophage, T cell and B cell infiltration using an existing semi-quantitative score. RESULTS: Power Doppler showed a good correlation with histological vascular area (Spearman r--0.73) and angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), Angiopoietin 2 and Tie-2. In addition, lymphangiogenic factors such as VEGF-C and VEGF-R3 correlated well with US assessment of synovitis. A significant correlation was also found between power Doppler and synovial thickness, pro-inflammatory cytokines and sub-lining macrophage infiltrate. Within the supra-patella pouch there was no significant difference in US findings, gene expression or inflammatory cell infiltrate between any regions of synovium biopsied. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound assessment of synovial tissue faithfully reflects synovial vascularity. Both grey scale and power Doppler synovitis in early RA patients correlate with a pro-angiogenic and lymphangiogenic gene expression profile. In early RA both grey scale and power Doppler synovitis are associated with a pro-inflammatory cellular and cytokine profile providing considerable validity in its use as an objective assessment of synovial inflammation in clinical practice